The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

225 of 239 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 starsThis new special edition "Stays Gold"
Coppola's original version was quite faithful to Hinton's book and this new edit is even more so. He has put back in 22 more minutes, most noticeably at the beginning and end of the movie. This new footage opens up the film more. We are introduced to the greasers much earlier on now that Coppola isn't reigned in by the dictates of test screenings. He is able to take the...

3.0 out of 5 starsWhat a classic!
I loved the Outsiders when it first came out - it is so campy, but it is truly a classic movie. The cast is simply amazing, with a lot of future heavy hitters. The special features on this DVD are truly amazing, and long overdue!

Now, the reason why I did not give this DVD five stars - the music! Why did Coppola get rid of the beautiful score from the original...

Coppola's original version was quite faithful to Hinton's book and this new edit is even more so. He has put back in 22 more minutes, most noticeably at the beginning and end of the movie. This new footage opens up the film more. We are introduced to the greasers much earlier on now that Coppola isn't reigned in by the dictates of test screenings. He is able to take the time to immerse the audience in this richly textured world shot in glorious widescreen by Stephen Burum who adopts a look that evokes another epic about troubled youth, Rebel Without A Cause (1955). The film is drenched in the golden hues of warm sunrises and sunsets like something right out of Gone with the Wind (1939).

Another significant change has Coppola replacing all of his father's beautiful, classical score in favour of period rock `n' roll music. In some cases, like the opening scene where Ponyboy is jumped by some Socs, it works and in others, like the whimsical surf music that plays over the scene where the Socs jump Johnny and Ponyboy, it feels awkward and out of place. Part of the film's original charm was its moments of `50s style melodrama, as epitomized by the film's orchestral soundtrack, and this diminished by the newly inserted period music that could be right out of an episode of Crime Story. Hinton's books are timeless with their universal themes and the original music reflected that. This new music, while accurate for its time period, contributes to a loss of some of the timeless feel.

On the first DVD is an audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola. He addresses the changes in the soundtrack by saying that after all these years he wanted to move away from a score that commented on what was happening to music that the characters would actually be listening to. The filmmaker delivers another top notch commentary full of smart observations and talks at length about why he prefers this cut.

There is an additional commentary featuring Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe and Matt Dillon. Coppola invited all of them back to see this new cut of the film with Lowe and Dillon recorded separately. This is an entertaining track that fans will love. It's great to hear these actors talk about this movie after all these years.

The second disc kicks things off with a retrospective look at the movie, entitled, "Stay Gold: A Look Back at The Outsiders." In a nice touch, we see Lane, Macchio, Swayze and Howell being reunited with Coppola at his ranch where they recorded their commentary. This is an excellent look at the movie with all kinds of good, on set footage.

"S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa" features the publicity-shy author revisiting the locations that Coppola used in the movie, including the drive-in which still exists. She talks about how Coppola worked closely with her on the set to make sure that the script was true to her book.

"The Casting of The Outsiders" has casting director now producer Fred Roos take us through the casting process with audition footage from back in the day. People like Kate Capshaw and Adam Baldwin tried out for the film. Anthony Michael Hall even read for the role of Ponyboy!

A nice addition is "Readings," with some of the cast who came back for these featurettes reading their character descriptions from Hinton's novel.

"NBC News Today Segment: The Outsiders Started by School Petition." This is a new story done during the film's original release about how a class of California school kids wrote a letter to Coppola asking him to make Hinton's book into a movie.

There are six "Additional Scenes" with more footage from the opening that is even more faithful to the book but the rest of the scenes amount to extensions of existing ones.

I'm so glad they decided to put out a Two-Disc Special Edition. This movie is well worth it and now we get to see the deleted scenes we've been waiting for. I hope the rest of the 80's classics get this treatment. It's awesome that Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Diane Lane all made a commentary segment for this DVD, the only bad thing is Tom and Emilio aren't in the commentary.

Just watched my Copy of THE OUTSIDERS---

Wow. This was so freakin' awesome you guys. There is 22 extra minutes added to the movie and 10 additional deleted scenes as special features. For the people who were disappointed in the movie because it lacked scenes from the book you have got to buy this edition. All of the scenes are added to the movie like I previously said. The special features are outstanding as well. They show a reunion at Francis Ford Coppola 's house screening the new extended movie with Diane Lane, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze and Ralph Macchio. There are cast interviews and a special with S. E. Hinton talking about the book and the movie. She also shows the places the movie took place. Like the movie theater, the school, the brothers house and the street Dallas was killed. There's much more extra's, so enjoy.

I loved the Outsiders when it first came out - it is so campy, but it is truly a classic movie. The cast is simply amazing, with a lot of future heavy hitters. The special features on this DVD are truly amazing, and long overdue!

Now, the reason why I did not give this DVD five stars - the music! Why did Coppola get rid of the beautiful score from the original movie and replace it with that god-awful music? Perhaps that music worked in a FEW scenes, but for the most part, it really tended to minimize some of the more dramatic parts in the movie. The new music did not work for me at all.

As a teenager myself, I wasn't very keen on watching this movie myself as it sounded pretty boring and considering that it was made in 1983, it only made things worse.I was sort of forced to watch it as it was my class' English literature text and we HAD to watch it. But this movie really inspired my whole class on living life. Especially the part where Ponyboy is thinking 'It seemed that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one i saw from my back steps were the same.Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.' What this really meant was underneath all the wealth and loads of attitude, people are still the same.They still have emotions and feel for one another. For some it was a 'sob-sob' movie, with all its emotional parts, we learnt about life, life and life. ALthough this book got my whole class saying 'Shut your trap hood!' and later cracking up, my english literature test was much easier and this meant to all of us that, everyone has their days.

I wasn't sure what was going to occur when I plopped the 1st DVD containing the "special edition" of THE OUTSIDERS into my player and settled back to watch. I wasn't wild about APOCALYPSE REDUX, Francis Coppola's recutting of his classic APOCALYPSE NOW. On that one, I strongly felt that there were a LOT of good reasons why things were removed from the original version in the first place, and most if not all of them should never have been reinstated. Happily, this is not the case with THE OUTSIDERS. Here, Coppola has followed practically to the letter the plot threads of S.E. Hinton's original novel and, in so doing, given us a great movie in place of a good one.

First of all, there is more of an established build-up of the characters and their setting. When Ponyboy Curtis, the "greaser" who is the primary character in the story, gets harassed and attacked by the "socs" on his way home from the movies and subsequently rescued by his fellow "greasers," you get the picture of how things stand between the "haves" (the socs) and the "have-nots" (the greasers), plus you meet and get to know all of Ponyboy's inner circle right away; his two brothers Darry and Sodapop, Johnny, Dallas, Two-Bit, Steve and the rest. This goes a long way to giving the viewer much more empathy for what Ponyboy and Johnny go through, and it furnishes some pleasant surprises as well. Rob Lowe is an actor often dismissed as a lightweight, but this version of THE OUTSIDERS shows how good he really could be. As Sodapop, one of Ponyboy's two older brothers, Lowe shows a sympathy and depth as the middle brother trying to be conciliator between Darry and Ponyboy when they fight with one another. In fact, every single actor here gets further flexing of their wings in this version, and it works terrifically.

However one feels about Coppola's father Carmine's original score, the replacing of most of it with 50s and 60s rock'n roll throughout the film dramatically changes the feel of it...to my mind, for the better. Coppola explains that his father's original score was there to give the film a "Gone With The Wind" texture, in keeping with the way the Margaret Mitchell novel surfaces throughout THE OUTSIDERS (movie AND book) as one thing that has an impact on Ponyboy and his friends and family. Fine as a theory, but that original score felt downright soupy at times, and it was a little like getting hit over the head with how SIGNIFICANT certain scenes were supposed to be rather than letting the audience figure that out. The rock 'n roll gives the movie more of a sensibility like BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and other "misunderstood youth" pictures of the 1950s and 1960s, and it works really, really well. It makes "Stay Gold," the theme song by Carmine Coppola and Stevie Wonder, stand out just that much more at the start and end of the film.

The abundance of extras on the 2nd DVD are mind-boggling and a treat for cineastes everywhere, but the main jewel in the crown is this restored movie, one that gives "director's cut" a good name. Nicely done!

FILM REVIEW "The Outsiders" Rated PG. 88 minutes. First screened in 1983. As a film-lover myself I believe that this movie is one of the most beautiful and touching that I have ever seen. Based on the stunning novel by S.E. Hinton, only. a teenager herself when she wrote the book, this movie conveys all the emotions and tension of the book. This movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola( director of the famous films : The Godfather, The Godfather 2 and Apocalypse Now) has a certain magic about it that you just don't get in a Disney movie. The reason for this is that this tale is one of sadness, despair and a teenager in the 50's reaching out for help and finding nothing there. Eventually the movie makes you realise that with the togetherness of the gang, Pony boy has got all that he ever needed. The acting in this film, while touching, left a little to be desired. The plot was simple but solid and supported by a range of very well known modern actors. Starring such actors as Tom Cruise as Steve Randle, C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis, Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit Matthews, Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis, Patrick Swayze as Darrel Curtis, Matt Dillon as Dallas Winston, Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade and Diane Lane as Cherry Valance. All of these roles in the movie were played expertly by the characters listed and they portrayed all the emotions of the book.

I don't know if you could find a bigger fan of the original version of this film than me. I watched it almost every day growing up and can still repeat every line as I watch it today. I was so excited to see it on DVD but the movie was 100% spoiled by the new soundtrack. I am STUNNED at how many reviewers have said it is an improvement and how Coppola could have done this and thought it was good. The new music completely changes the tone of the entire film and removes all of the tension, drama and tragedy that are at the center of this movie. To replace the emotional soundtrack at key moments like the murder of the Soc, the rumble and Dally's run from the law with chipper surfer tunes is so confusing and jarring that I am no longer able to enjoy the film. This is a travesty and should never have been messed with - where can I find a VHS copy?

This movie and novel are complete magic. I am turning 13 in 11 days and I read the novel when I was in 2nd grade! I reread it this year(7th grade) as required reading and then I remembered how magical it was. The friendships were created so well. Though, they forgot so many scenes, that I feel, is the only thing wrong with the movie. They forgot to tell about Sodapop and his girlfriend Sandy and why he was so upset, they forgot about Mickey Mouse(horse), the court scene, when Ponyboy passes out and is unconcious for days on hand! Though, I have heard that they may be releasing a Collector's Edition with deleted scenes and the works! Which I am very excited about. This movie has stayed gold through and through. Coppola had captured every character just about right. With the exception of Dallas Winston who should've had Blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Though Matt Dillon portrayed Dally just right. They didn't really describe the brotherly bond that Johnny and Dallas have or how Ponyboy feels that Darry only likes Soda. The movie is pure gold though. I could go on forever but I won't.

This special edition is the worst movie I've ever seen. You see, I love the Outsiders. it is a great story, filled with great characters. I've wanted the movie for a long time. Than i finally got the special edition one. Really, the worst part about this edition is the music. it is horrible! it just ruins the movie. For instance, in the scenes were Dally dies and Jhonny kills the scos, their playing rock and roll music! it totally ruined the moment. And the music is constanly playing, so it's hard to concintrate on the movie. And, the added scenes in the movie are totally unnessary. if you are an Outsider fan, whatever you do, DON'T GET THIS SPECIAL EDITION MOVIE! Just stick with the origanal. It's much better, and presents the story in a much more memerable way.

I've waited 22 years to see this vesion of 'The Outsiders'. While I've always loved the film, I was quite aware that many scenes had been shot but not used in the film. The new beginning introduces the characters and establishes their relationship with one another early on. The new ending (sans the scene at the high school) actually did air on network television back in 1987 and that is the version I've watched ever since. Having it all together on DVD is a true wonder.

The new soundtrack is going to take some getting used to it. The Elvis songs work on every level, and the surfer music definitely works in certain scenes but not all of them. The new music tends to make the film more comparable to the JD films of the 1950's and that is OK by me, because as far as I'm concerned this is the best of the genre.

Even more wonderful than the new footage in the film are the extras! The documentary, auditions, tour of Tulsa with S.E. Hinton, and "additional scenes" are true treasures to own.

A few things to take note of; There is approximately 2 minutes of footage of Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis in the church that is no longer in the movie, but it does appear in the "additional scenes" section. Also, I'm quite positive there was footage shot of Sodapop Curtis and his girlfriend Sandy as I remember seeing photos of him talking to her on a porch. In the book she moves away and a letter Soda sent her returns unopened, which prompts his outburst at the dinner table near the end. This probably should have been included in the "additional scenes" section too. That storyline was later used in 'The Outsiders' TV series in 1990.

I have no intention of getting rid of my original version of THE OUTSIDERS, but I forsee that this new special edition will be the one I view most often! If you are a fan of this movie most definitely check it out. Even if you are not won over by the new soundtrack and prefer the original, you have to admit it is a million times better than sitting around watching reality television!